


Time Travel Beats Death

by Mira_Mira



Series: 5 Warriors [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: But they're alive now becuase time travel, M/M, Multi, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23299888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira_Mira/pseuds/Mira_Mira
Summary: Time Travel fix it because I said so.
Relationships: Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Matt Holt & Hunk, Matt Holt/Lance, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: 5 Warriors [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1675618
Comments: 25
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who started a new thing when I already have a thing to work on.

Lance blinked, the echoes of memory failing. Absently he tracked the room. Two beds, two desks, two closets. Everything was still in place. Just how he remembered. A breath, muscles tensing in a stretch, and he rose. It looked like Hunks had left already. Eyes shifted to the door to find a post-it note. _Lance, nightmare. Left to bake, be back before class_. He frowned. Hunk usually woke him if he had a nightmare. A shrug as he turned away. He needed to get dressed, and Hunk would tell him later.

* * *

The unlatching of the door brought him back from his unintentional meditating. Shifting to get the door insight he waited. It swung open, the smell of fresh baked goods wafting in. Hunk followed the smell, two large containers held in front of him. Matt was revealed as Hunk fully entered the room.

"I thought the idea was to _not_ do anything that could relate us to each other?" Matt smiled.

"Pretty sure it was the baking. He just popped up as I finished packing. Almost gave me a heart attack."

"Rude! I would never do that to my brother-in-law!" Lance and Hunk just rose their eyebrows in unison.

"Anyways, I made bread lots, Cinnamon rolls, Coffee cake, and about four different danishes.''

"Lemon?" A lemon danish was tossed at Matt, only his reflexes saving him from a face full.

"Lance, don't go throwing my food."

"Sorry. But we both know I have better aim."

"How are the two of you so violent? And how did you manage to convince everyone else that you're both big teddy bears?"

"Skill." Matt just looked at them. "Well, I've got to go, try not to drive your teachers insane."

"Do you know us at all?" He looked at Hank before seeming to decide it wasn't worth it. Turning Matt walked out, leaving his husband and brother behind.

"Hunk?" A hum, "why didn't you wake me?"

"You were actually sleeping. Without nightmares. And this one wasn't all that bad. Just the whole Aris attack."

"Promis?" Hunk turned to him, finally finished getting dressed.

“I Promise Lance." He nodded. Shifting he glanced around the room. He was restless and didn't know why. They still had time before Voltron was needed. The Kerberos mission had just been announced! With a groan he flopped back onto his bed.

"Still restless?"

"Yeah. And I don't know why! It's driving me _nuts_!" Hunk sat down next to him, strong arms manhandling him to his stomach. Hands pressed on his back, starting at his shoulder blades and moving to follow his spine. Reaching his hips the hands pressed back up, moving over his shoulders and up to the back of his neck. Hunk's large hands framed his neck, thumbs pressed on either side of his spine. It should have been claustrophobic, or even mildly uncomfortable, but Lance felt himself relaxing, tension he hadn't noticed falling away.

"Better?"

"Yeah." the hands moved, helping him to adjust. Now sitting up and leaning against Hunk, Lance felt the restlessness starting to creep bank in. They sat there in peace before the bell rang. It was time to get back to the Garrison approved learning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have 131 total pages for this hand written. i basically scan it in and it translates my handwriting to text. unfortunately i have chicken scratch. i think i got all the typos, but please message me if i didn't.

Hunk wanted to bash his head on his desk. Everything the Garrison was teaching them was wrong. Not that they knew that, but still. It was driving him up the wall. He glanced over at Lance, concern creeping up. Lance was still restless, energy that had been needed in the war was pointless here. Not that he had gotten rid of his  _ own _ restlessness, but he had workarounds. Lance hasn't been able to find anything that worked. And not for lack of trying.

He glanced up at the clock. Ten more minutes. Then they could get out and he might be able to find Matt and have him come over and help Lance. It would give him time to bake alone, if nothing else.

______________________________________________________________________________

Matt knew he wasn't being very subtle when he interacted with Shiro, but he also really didn't care. It was better to sane that caution for Katie. Smart little thing would pick up on the difference immediately. And he couldn't have that. Even if he wanted to tell her everything. A mental shake of his head and he was back to watching Shiro and Adam. They were adorable. Maybe they should bring Addam along. He would see what Lance and Hank thought. It would be on them after all. It may help Keith though... and Katie. She knew  _ of _ Adam and knew he could be trusted. Maybe he could convince his dad to have a "mission dinner". It wouldn't be odd and him and Shiro had been friends long enough that it wouldn't seem  _ too _ strange that he thought Adam should come too. Dad would just think it was so he could tease Shiro. And it was. Partly. But if he could get Katie and Adam more comfortable with each other, it was a win- win as far as he was concerned. Now he just needed to see if Lance and Hunk agreed. Pulling himself out of his musings he saw his father looking at Adam and Shiro. The two clearly didn't know they were being watched as their faces seemed to have been glued together. Wandering over to his father, he asked. Lance and Hunk could complain later, but this was just too good an opportunity.

His father, of course, agrees. Probably hoping to make them stop. By mortification of the Holt siblings. He smiled. Time to find stupid spicy food to convince the other two time travelers that this was a good idea. And that they should make sure Adam was with them when they left. Matt left to the sounds of Shiro protesting his father's invitation. He should have thought of that  _ before _ he and Adam lip locked.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lance knew something was up when Matt showed up with garlic knots and spicy food. Matt, for all that he loved him, could  _ not _ handle spicy food.

"What's the occasion?"

"Offerings. So you  _ don’t _ murder me and so I can get my whole idea out."

"Just give me the garlic knots." Matt quickly surrendered the food. As him and Hunk ate, they watched Matt. He wasn't  _ particularly _ nervous, but that didn't mean much.

"So. What did you do?" Hunk spoke around the food, somehow.

"I think you should bring Adam when you leave with Blue."

"What. Matt. No.  _ What? _ " Lance was very happy he  _ didn’t _ have food. He had a feeling that it would have made for a glorious spit take and he was not about that life. Mostly because Blue would hold it over him forever.

“Just. Listen. I have Shino and Adam coming over to our house because they were making out. I suggested, but Dad agreed. If Katie gets more used to Adam, she might have more help to keep her from being as intense as she was the last time. Keith would also benefit from Adam being there with you guys. It will also give Shiro something to focus-on besides saving the universe, finding us, etcetera. Plus, Adam  _ does _ know how to fly. He could adjust to the Altean fighters easily enough." A shrug as Matt sat, lazing as he waited for them to process.

Lance was undecided. Matt brought up god points, but he really didn't want to get someone else caught up in an intergalactic war. Though... Earth did end up getting attacked by the Garla… If they  _ did _ bring Adam, it could be the edge they needed to make sure it wasn't. Or everything could be worse by adding him. Though the point about Pidge and Keith was  _ very _ valid.

"It changes a lot of things, but I think it’s worth it." He glanced at Hunk before nodding in agreement. It was worth it overall to have Adam.

"Would Pidge suggest bringing Adam or is that something we're going to have to plan for?"

"Don't know. I'm hoping I can get more dinners and such with them. Maybe convince Shiro to bring Keith along... like to get him and Katie to be support for each other or something. I would plan on her not though. Better that way." Hunk and Lance nodded. Plans after plans would be discussed. They weren't leaving anything up to chance this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how my written 'u's somehow look like 'a's to the text converter. I think I managed to get Hunk's name corrected everywhere but...

Months slowly pass. Hunk had started to collect objects and items that would help them in space. Matt and Lance adding to the slowly growing pile. The pile that was now being carefully placed into Blue. She was slowly filling up, storage compartments finally used after so long. Matt's plan, to get Keith and Katie acquainted and familiar with Adam, was going well. Shiro didn't seem to enjoy having them all as friends, but that was mostly because they ganged up on him to roast him. He had only seen a bit of one, but it had been glorious. Lance hadn't believed him, but Matt confirmed with The Video. Video that was on all their phones now. And the intergalactic com that Blue helped him modify. Because she wanted it too. Something about blackmail for Black? He wasn't sure and he didn't want to get in between a fight between Black and Blue. Those two were vicious.

_ "Kerberos mission launch in one hour. All students who have decided to watch need to go to the observation platform. The platform will close in thirty minutes” _

Hunk blinked back from his mind. Repeating the announcement in his head, he rose, grabbed his notebook, and left. Lance had decided to not go. He said it was like calibrating his husband's "death". Matt had understood, and asked him to watch out for Katie while he was away. Hunk had also had the room to himself that night. He looked up as the platform came in sight.

Getting into the line, he showed his I.D. and went to find a seat. He was here because  _ someone _ needed to be. Because they wanted to make sure this went to plan. As the countdown to launch started, Hank prayed that nothing unfortunate would happen, that they would be protected should anything happen, and that they would find their way back.

Shadowed movement brought his attention to Adam. The fight that had happened before had happened again, though with both Kieth and Pidge he wasn't sure on the severity. Matt had never been able to confirm that for them. As zero hit and the launch started, Hunk started his own countdown. It would take them about 6 months to reach Kerberos, and again after that for Shiro to crash back on Earth. As the ship exited the atmosphere, he stood. It was time to really start prepping. To start training and to start thinking about the timeline that they could remember.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lance knew that Matt had wanted him at the launch, but he just couldn't do it. It felt  _ wrong _ . Matt had understood, but was still sad. As he heard the announcement calling a successful launch, he felt the held back tears overflow. He felt his throat clog, a choking sound coming from it. He gripped Matt's pillow tighter, burying his head into it. Sobs ripped out of him. He wasn't sure how long he sat before the bed dipping pulled him out of his grief. Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him tight to his brother's chest. Exhausted tears continued to leak out. Hunk started to humm, the tune familiar. Soon his eyes started to close, sleep calling him.

When Lance woke up, it was to the smell of Hunk's frittatas and hot chocolate. Actual hot chocolate. Not that awful powdered stuff.

"Better?"

"Not really, but it's done now. And that helps. Kinda." Hunk turned, concerned.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, Big Guy. And I still have you.”

"And don’t you forget it." He chuckled as breakfast was presented to him. It would be a long couple of years, but he would get through it. Thinking on how to make sure Adam came with them would help. Hopefully Pidge or Keith would want to bring him along and that would be that. But still, if the war had taught them anything, it was to plan for plans. And plan for those plans. Turns out war was a lot of planning.

"Time for class. And to see how long it takes me to try and correct Dr. Allen."

"Hunk. No. You can't correct our physics professor."

"I can too. I'll just look insane. Which is bad, but  _ still! _ " Lance just laughed at Hunk. While Dr. Allen was wrong about 90% of what he was teaching, it wasn't his fault. Humanity just hadn’t figured out what the rest of the universe had. It was driving Hunk insane though.

"Lance, what am I going to do? We go over Quantum physics today. I'm not going to last." Hunk looked as though his whole world had ended. Or that he wasn't allowed to use the kitchen anymore. Or if Coran had given him the Paladin Surprise. Again. He shuddered. Food Goo was better than that. Actually…

"Hey, Hunk?"

"Yeah?"

"Did we ever figure out what the Paladin Surprise was made of?" Horror blooms across his face.

"No. We didn't."

"Right. So. Not touching that. Please tell me you have something we can eat instead of that?"

“If I didn't before, I do now." Reassured, Lance went back to his fool, finishing it before he started to get ready for that day's classes. Looks like it was back to the grind. He should look at 

getting better swim sets... maybe some dry-land variation?

______________________________________________________________________________

Hunk grunted, the weight causing his arms to strain. As he lowered it for the last time, he thought about how odd this looked. Not that anything had really changed from last time. Besides that he was lifting more. He still wasn't sure how Pidge and Keith though he didn't have muscle. He was an  _ engineer  _ for goodness sake! He lifted heavy, delicate engines! He put the weights away before he started lightly stretching. Sitting up he looked for Lance. Not seeing him, he started for the pool. A quick glance in and he found his query. Lance was focused on the clock, his body poised to launch him. The clock hit the top and Lance moved. Hunk opened the door, spying Lance's stuff. Sitting at the bench he riffled through the bag until he found the sets Lance was going through. Checking and making a rough estimate he rose, making his way to the changing rooms. It was hot tub time.

When he reentered the pool area, Lance was just getting out. He was breathing heavily, but didn't seemed distressed. They both made their way to the hot tub, slowly sinking into the warmth.

"You got a larger set. You're usually done before I am.”

“Yeah. Told Coach I wanted to try and get sprints and distance in. He asked what I was doing for Whit, told him I was looking for the same thing. Sprints and distance. That was about a week ago. They got back with me today. They worked out a scheduled-together so I shouldn't be running myself ragged."

"You going to keep to it?"

"Yes, Mom." He rolled his eyes at Lance's response.

"I asked my lifting coach and MMA boxing coach to help make a new set for me too. But I know _I'll_ keep to mine.”

"Rude, also have a diet they got me on. They checked with the Garrison's dietitian and everything. My shooting coach said she wanted a copy so she knew what was going on." Hunk opened his eyes at the silence Lance had trailer off into.

“You there?”

"Oh, yeah. I'm just thinking. I'm pretty sure that Whit ant Kaplin are scared of Yu." Hunk thought about it, and yeah. He could see that. Coach Yu was the best archery and shooting coach the Garrison could ever have, but she was strict. And knowing someone cant shoot you from stupid far away definitely didn't help.

"Lance, most people are scared, or at least weary, of her."

"Don't know why. She's amazing!" Hunk just stared at him. Lance just smiled back.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lance was in a difficult position. He knew eventually his bayard would give him a sword. The thing is, he _really_ didn't know how to use it. The only person he could even think to bring this problem to was Yu. She might know someone who could help. But he also didn't know how he was going to explain it. He couldn't just go up and ask for someone who could teach him. It would be weird and she would want to know why. But he also didn't have any other idea of who to go to.

“You're distracted, Lance." He winced internally, before looking up at his shooting coach.

"Sorry. Just. Thinking."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Won't happen again. Sorry." Brown eyes assessed him, one delicate eyebrow raised.

"Why don't you tell me what's on your mind. It's not like you to miss a target." Miss a target? Turning his eyes to the range, he was mortified to see that she was right. He had missed the target. Completely. Setting his gun down, safety on, he turned to his coach.

"It's nothing much but. I... kinda wanted to learn how to sword fight?”

"Really? What brought that on?"

"It's... Something that I kinda always wanted to do, but never really did?"

"I see..." her lips pursed in thought, "Are you looking for the basics or something more?" Lance blinked.

"Um... basics, I guess? I wouldn't want to do anything more until I know if I actually like it."She nodded, still thinking.

"Put your stuff away and meet me at gym 8." Confused he nodded, quickly putting his stuff up. When he looked back up she was gone. With a shrug he finished and started on his way to gym 8.

Sail gym was locked. Confused he found a window and peaked in. Not that he could see much since it was dark. Stepping back he double checked the gym number. Confirming he was at the right one, he started looking around for Coach Yu. A heavy bolt being undone had him facing the door again.

"Come on in." Blinking he shrugged. He had gone it to worse situations with less, at least he knew Yu wasn’t out to kill him. Walking in he saw that the gym had been modified. Wooden posts, straw targets, and weapons lined the walls.

"Umm...?"

“This is my personal gym that I use for my own practice. I'm most proficient in the bow and spear, but I can use all of these to some degree. Now, to get you fitted to a sword." With that she turned back towards him, two blades held down at her sides. He gaped for a second more.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing much. Right now I just want to see how each sword fits. This," she held out her right hand," is a two-handed sword. It's going to be heavier, but you also have more control over all. This one," her other hand rose," is a hand-and-a-half. More versatile than a two hand, and lighter. You also have single handed swords, but I don't think those are going to be the one for you. Now, I want you to position yourself like this... bend your elbows a bit more... That's it. Now, try the two handed... How's it feel?" Lance felt his arms straining. While the sword wasn’t all that heavy, he was using muscle that he didn't normally.

"It's heavy."

"It should be. Watch me closely, I want you to copy this move as closely as you can." He watched her arms raise above her head, pausing, and the slashing down, stopping when the blade was perpendicular with her chest. Focusing, Lance raises his arms, bending his elbows as the heavy sword went over his head. Pausing as the weight readjusted, he slashed down, barely halting the blade as it neared the ground.

"Seems that it's too heavy... try this one," with that the blade was taken from him as another replaced it. Looking from his hand to the blade that had just been there, he starred as Coach Yu just held it like it weighed nothing. Turning back to the new sword in his hands he readjusted his stance. A glance to make sure he was in the correct position, be for he did the move again. This blade was lighter, the grip shorter, but something felt right. He paused at the top of his arc, then swung, stopping just under what she had.

"Thought so. You’ll need to find a hand-and-a-half that feels good to you. This section has all the ones you would be looking at. Go through them and see what feels most comfortable. You should mainly be looking at grip feet, though weight can be a little different between them. You would normally also look for balance, but since these are all my personal ones, you won't need to." Nodding, in a bit of a daze, he walked over to the marked section. Spying an empty slot, he placed the blade back. It had felt ok, but if he could find one that fit better...

______________________________________________________________________________

Hunk glanced up as the door to his room swung open, Lance stumbling through. Said boy seemed to be trembling just slightly.

"Did you already go overboard?" Tiered blues blinked at him.

"No, but I actually asked Yu about the whole sword lesions thing. Turns out she does that too. And gym 8 is her personal gym. And she has lots of sharp pointy things in there along with very blunt heavy things."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, so now I'm getting basic sword lesions in place of my Tuesday shooting." Hunk watched in mild concern as Lance let his backpack slide off and he collapsed into his bed.

"More than you were thinking?"

"Lots more. I just went through the whole 'choose a sword that feels right' and then basic stances.”

"Dinner is in half an hour, and you still have homework." Lance just groaned.

______________________________________________________________________________

Hunk huffed as the bell sounded. Reaching up he pulled out his mouth guard, shifting his jaw to get the stiffness out.

"Good job, Hunk. I still want you to work on that flexibility though."

"Will do!" As he stepped out of the ring, he swung his arms, loosening the mussels just a bit. As he worked to cool down and stretch, his eyes wandered to the weight section of the gym. The Garrison swim team was having dry-land today, and he could see Lance lifting. Shifting, he glanced at the weight he could see. Looks like Lance had upped it again. Finishing his stretches, Hunk rose, arching his back as it popped. He had a shipment of seeds coming in, he needed to grab them from the mail-room... he should also see if he could stock some more stuff in Blue. The weight lifting team and the swim team didn't have much homework this week so that they could prepare themselves for the upcoming Nationals. That was in two days... he should be able to make a run to Blue.

As he left the gym completely, Hunk found himself wondering through memory. Purple started to creep into the lights, metal on metal seemed to be echoing through the halls. He found himself stepping lighter, hand falling to his belt. His breath froze in his chest as his hand hit emptiness. Panicked eyes flashed down to where his bayard was supposed to be. Nothing. Mind racing as he tried to pinpoint when he lost it. When it was taken from him. He kept coming up blank. As he looked around again, hoping to jog a memory, he found the halls shifting closer. Choking on non-existent breath, Hunk raised his arm. He should be able to pull up Yellow's location on his armors wrist device. Skin met him. That... that wasn't right. Even if the Garla took his armor off, they would have put him in the prisoner outfits. He should also be in a cell. And walls don't move on ships. Blinking, the purple gave way to the white yellow of the Garrison halls. Aching lungs finally released the breath they had been holding. As Hunk continued to study his surroundings, he felt the edge of panic failing. With a heavy sigh, he continued on his way. That had been close. He wasn't even sure what had triggered it. Maybe Lance had an idea. If not he would at least need to know so that he didn't throw them both into a panic attack. That had happened once. Never again. Maybe he would make pineapple upside down cake. They would just have to eat at the Cafeteria, but that was ok.

Hunk had just placed the cake in the oven when Lance walked in. As he saw the baking supplies, concerned eyes met his.

"Had a minor panic attack on the way back from practice. Thought I was on a Garla ship."

"How bad?"

"Thought I was infiltrating it. I only got out when I realized that I would never be looking at skin on my arm."

"That's true. Think you're going to have nightmares?"

"Don't know, but it was pretty realistic. Thought we would actually eat at the cafeteria and have homemade pineapple upside down cake when we got back."

"Sounds good to me. I think they have apple berry salad today. Get a big bowl of that, add some extra feta, some chicken, maybe some sesame seeds. I'll be good." Hunk chuckled as Lance daydreamed about his salad.

"They have teriyaki salmon and rice today too. I'm thinking I'll grab that and a bunch of veggies."

"That's always good, but I think I'll stick to my salad. Though I might grab some more veggies too. I think they might have some roasted pumpkin, according to Julie."

"Really? Julie usually knows what's going on in the kitchens... though I heard her and Ally broke up."

"Not what I heard. According to Ken, Barton was getting into Ally's space, when she asked him to quit he got really aggressive. Ken said Julie found out and handed Barton his ass. I figure Barton didn't like that and spread the rumor." Hunk winced. Yeah, he could see Barton doing something like that. It would also explain why he wasn't in class today.

"Food issues aside, we have almost two months left."

"And then we get to see how much planning we need to do to have Adam come along. Think Keith will get kicked out again?"

"Don't know. It depends on if Pidge includes him in her plans." Lance nodded, a contemplative look falling over him. They sat there thinking, running what-ifs and maybes until the timer for the cake went off. Hunk pulled it out, setting it to cool as Lance rose from his bed. Stretching, they headed for the door, food was calling. They could figure the rest out later.


	4. Chapter 4

_ “The Garrison has recently confirmed that the Kerberos mission has been lost. They have advised that they lost contact during the landing procedure. The Garrison spokesperson had this to say…”  _ The T.V. shut off, Lance jerked at the sudden change.

"I thought you weren't going to watch that?"

“I…”

"Lance, you're crying." Blinking he raised his hand, finding that he was, indeed, crying. The couch dipped and he was pulled into his best friend’s arms.

"I didn't mean to. Was looking for something to watch. It just. Was there."

"I'm sorry. You know they're going to be Ok. Matt's prepared and so are we.. Plus, we have Keith and Pidge. Even if they don't know it yet."

"Yeah, yeah we do. I- I knew it was going to happen, and that it was close, but, I. I wasn't prepared for it."

"At least now we can figure out how much planning we'll need to do to bring Adam along with us?” Lance let out a wet laugh.

"Pidge would make a better plan."

"Only because she prefers to think in the long term. Plus I've never seen her plan a strategy like you." Lance giggled. Pidge was amazing with anything techy and programy, but have her plan a strategy? She was ok, but not in his, Shiro's, Matt's, or Allura's level. It was kind of ridiculous considering how good Matt was at it. Lance lost himself in memories of late night planing, of maps, and trooper night moments. Tracking the Garla, supply runs. The moment they realized they had been cornered on Alzeth. It had only the five of them. Only four had gone back. Ryu had stayed to give them time. No matter how they protested, he had always said the same thing, 'It's not like I  _ can _ go back, I've not been created yet’. They all knew it was true, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Lance didn't like that Lotor was going back to isolation. Sure he had his generals, but they wouldn't be the same ones he knew. They wouldn’t have survived Ke’xin or Duxíñt, or any other battles they fought.

"You're thinking too much." Hunk’s voice seemed to echo around him, slowly leading him back to reality.

"Just about before." Hunk tensed, breath freezing in his lungs before being huffed out.

"Yeah... I guess that's..." another sigh.

"Sorry.”

“Don't be. It's not that large of a leap that you would be thinking about them."

"Still, didn't mean to bring them back up." Hunk just hummed They sat there, on his bed, until the lights out announcement rang over the intercoms.

"You going to be ok?"

"If I'm not you're literally ten feet away." Hunk laughed, giving him one last bear hung before getting ready for bed. Lance watched him, just long enough for the feeling of helplessness to start to fade. He was still in his uniform but couldn't gather the energy to change. Moving just enough to get under the covers, he fell asleep.

______________________________________________________________________________

Matt was  _ not  _ impressed. OR terrified. Though having already been through this was probably a contributing factor. That made Shiro's protests all the more impressive. The thunk of him falling had Matt paying attention again. His father's uneven breathing made him wish he could blow his cover. Or.. what little cover he had. Taking down two armed Garla was probably not the way to go.

"This one is too old for the arena. He'll go to Gúith. He may be of some use there before he dies." Matt's Garlan maybe rusty, but he could get the gist. Good, so far.

"The others are young. They will be good fodder." Growling laughter filled the purple halls.

"Hunn..." Looks like Shiro was back with them.

______________________________________________________________________________

Hunk was almost impressed. It had originally taken Keith a month before he self-destructed and "left" the Garrison. With support from both Pidge and Adam, he lasted three. Pidge wasn't being very discreet about knowing him either. She would disappear into the night, only to meet Adam when she came back. Not that they were aware they were being watched. The bonus of somehow being unassuming. And underestimated.

"I almost felt bad about this." Hunk glanced over to Lance, eyebrow raised.

"It's for a good cause."

"I  _ know  _ that. But still. They're kids. Who don't have advanced alien technology and memories and reflexes from several years of war with said advanced aliens."

"If we have our way, they won’t have years." They all knew that it was inevitable that they would be exposed to some war. That's why they got picked as the paladins, but if they could shorten it.. Hunk's attention was pulled from his musings by three people in the middle of the desert.

"Maybe we won't have to use any of our Adam plans." He mused.

"That's what it looks like." They watched as Pidge brought out a notebook, pointing to something. The other two leaned in, looking closer. Adam straightened, shaking his head. Keith motioned them further into the sand. The three moved in the direction of Keith's shack.

"I think that's enough for us tonight. Blue said she would watch them for us.” Hunk waited a moment longer before nodding.

"We have that test in Kevan's class tomorrow, might as well be well rested." He giggled at Lance's answering groan.

“That means we have the Garrison meets too?” Hunk just nodded. That was probably the last normal thing they would really do. They slipped into their room, quickly changing and getting into bed. As the silence held they abandoned themselves to sleep.

______________________________________________________________________________

Out of all the things Matt could have forgotten, the pain of having his leg sliced open was not one he would have thought. Then again, that's probably why he forgot it. Shiro's desperate face was above him, his mouth moving. He should probably be paying attention to that. And he was gone. Off to fight. Maybe he would become the druids plaything earlier. He wasn't sure. The timeline for  _ that  _ whole situation had been lost when Shiro died. Not that they were even sure he  _ actually  _ remembered that time. Who knew that this pain would make him think off. Think off? You know what, he was in pain, and  _ really  _ didn't want to alert anyone to what was actually happening. So focus on pain and hope he doesn't do anything stupid like talking out loud. Absently he wondered how the others were doing. He hoped they would be able to get Adam to space. Keith and Katie would probably insist on it. At least from what he could see of their interaction together. Pain lanced up his leg as he was tossed into a cell. A glance over to the entrance showed one of the older doors. Meant for less needed prisoners. He could break out, but that could mean trouble for everyone else. So, he was just going to lay here. It's not the worst thing he's fallen asleep on.


	5. Chapter 5

Lance wanted to bang his head on a table  _ so _ bad. He thought having Keith and Pidge used to Adam was a good thing. Now he wanted to save Matt  _ only _ to show him what he started. Those three were going to give him gray hairs. At least he would look closer to the age he should be. Even Blue was done with them at this point.

"I'm going to murder Matt when we see him." Lance should be more offended that Hunk was willing to murder his husband, but at this point...

“I'll help." Blue pushed various images at them both, most showing her helping as well.

"At least we won't have to try and get Adam up there by ourselves."

“Their menace. At this point I would almost  _ prefer _ to have to use one of our plans." The two of them watched as the three disappeared into Keith's shack. They were getting closer and closer to finding Blue. They just needed to wait one month.  _ One!  _ Blue changed her signal again. It was the only way they could slow them down. Not that it was slowing them down by much, but still.

"Lets head back. Maybe we can think of something to keep Pidge and Adam in the Garrison for a bit.”

"Adam  _ is _ the TA for Silva... I could always go ask for tutoring. With my schedule it would keep him in for a bit... The rescue test is coming up too. I'll book extra time in the simulator. Those two things should work until then..." Hunk thought about it, eyes narrowed as he rolled the thought around.

"That should work." Well then, that was one issue partly solved. The other was how to get the last bit of supplies Blue. It was too much of a risk with Keith free to look around. Blue pushed an image, showing the three talking before going out. Then the land speeder popped up. That might work. If they could get to Blue before they went looking, they could use her land speeder to get away. The only issue would be getting it back. Blue pushed another image. Dawn. Lance ran through the numbers quickly. It would be close, but it should work... As he turned to Hunk he saw his own mouth opened.

"She talk to both of us?”

"Seems like it. The timing will be tight, but it should work." Lance felt better when Hunk confirmed that the timing would work.

"We’ve been on tight timing before. And this has significantly less chance of someone dying."

Hunk chuckled as he rose from his crouched position. Lance held his for a moment more, watching and memorizing. Silently he rose, sand barely shifting under his weight. He ghosted away, following Hunk's form back to the Garrison.

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Lance had forgotten how normal the day everything changed was. The simulation, tests, lectures. He almost forgot if it hadn't been so ingrained in his mind. Almost unconsciously he started to count down. Shiro crashed about an hour after lights out. Lights out was at 21:00, him and Hunk had snuck out half-an-hour later, catching Pidge in the process. It took about ten minutes to get to the roof. After that they just had to wait and hope everything went to plan. Mostly the whole Braking Shiro Out™ and Bring Adam To Space™ plans. If those two things went correctly and they could  _ get  _ to space, they could deal with everything else. Though if Shiro was more hurt than last time... that  _ could _ cause problems. Nothing they weren't mostly prepared for, but still. He glanced at the clock as Dr. Watts droned on. 11:23. He resisted the incredible urge to slam his head on his desk.

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_ Blue eyes looked at him, tears falling. Silver hair pushed them back. Yellow-Green's mouth was moving. Sound should be coming out. He needs them to be safe. _

  
  


_ He? _

  
  
  
  


_ Who was? _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_? _

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Hunk grabbed his hip pouches, packed with the last little bit of supplies. A glance at Lance showed him strapping his own pouch on. Absently he adjusted his gloves, military grade. Actually everything they were wearing was military grade. It wouldn't help a ton in space, but it was better than the clothes they had gone in originally.

"Ready?" He quickly looked around the room one last time. It still looked like they were coming back, but everything of major importance had either been sent back to their families or was on Blue.

"Let's do this." Lance nodded, leading the way out the door, their steeps silent. After all the Garla patrols, the Garrison's was almost laughable. Hunk twisted past a hall, just missing the guard that came out. To think this had been stressful last time.

"She's just leaving." A gentle press of his hand on Lance's back to show he heard, then they were off. Pidge was  _ loud _ compared to what they were used to. Lance's shoulders kept tensing as she snuck around. She was good.. For someone who didn't have training. The clang as she missed a floor grate had him wincing. Hunk felt his eyebrow raise as she took an unscripted turn. That didn't happen last time. A quick look at Lance had them splitting. He continued towards the roof while Lance shadowed Ridge. The door swung shut with hardly a whisper. Spying one of the exhaust vents he wandered over, settling in its shadow just as the door swung open. 

A tall silhouette passed through the opening, door thudding closed. The figure paused, looked around, before striding forward. As moonlight hit the figure, Hunk recognized Adam. Adam with no Pidge. Where had she gotten to then? Eight taps and Lance was sliding next to him. They waited a moment more before Pidge moved to Adam's side. They seemed to be talking, or rather arguing if Adam’s head shakes and hand gestures were anything to go by. Pidge seemed to give up, turning away and creeping closer to the edge of the building. Her backpack swung off her arms as she sank to the ground. Soon her set up was complete. As she pulled on her headphones Adam all but collapsed next to her. A second pair was held out, seeming to be a peace offering. The two of them watched as the moon rose and Pidge and Adam listened to the stars. The bright flare of re-entry brought the two of them back to full alertness.

_ “Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat: All students are to remain in barracks until further notice." _

They watched as Adam rose, yelling something at Pidge as he ran back inside. Pidge quickly started to pick her stuff up, pausing as she looked back to where Adam had disappeared. With her face bathed in moonlight it was easy to see the mulish expression that took over her face. Resolutely she turned and headed for the door that would grant her the quickest access to the outside.

"That was new." Hunk hummed in agreement.

"Looks like Adam's headed to the site. He didn't do that last time." The two rose from their hidden positions, stretching, before heading to the edge of the roof. Reaching the edge they froze, taking stock of their situation. Hunk's eyes traced his path down, finding cracks and ledges. In less than a second he was scaling the Garrison wall. A few feet before the ground he pushed off, rolling to disperse the impact. A muffled thud next to him announced Lance. A quick visual check to make sure they weren't hurt and they were moving. Slipping through the gate they started a jog. They needed to get to the rocks before Pidge.


End file.
